French HE and R&D Budget to Increase Above Inflation. (October 2, 2009)

France's minister for higher education and research, Valérie Pécresse, has announced that the French draft budget for 2010 has made higher education and research "the top priority for the 3^rd year running". Earmarked spending for the portfolio is up, 5.3%, to €29.2 billion from this year's €27.7 billion.

However, research itself, receives  an increase of €804 million, a drop of €59 million from last year. And ScienceInsider's Barbara Casassus points out "€731 million were injected into Pécresse’s budget this year, including €286 million for research, as part of the government's economic recovery plan".

The minister stated her objectives for 2010 as:

• improvements in pay and career structure,

• incentives for research agencies to step up coordination,

• privilege the best teams of researchers,

• foster innovation and

• strengthen links between public and private sector research.

Ms Casassus notes that "of the overall research budget increase in 2010, an extra €206 million will be channelled into the nation's public research agencies—the rest of the rise will go to private industrial efforts or tax-credits—creating a 2.5% increase in total funding for the agencies, more than twice the assumed inflation rate of 1.2%".

 Mathematician Bertrand Monthubert, national secretary in charge of higher education and research for the French opposition Socialist Party and former president of the Let’s Save Research movement says, "The budget is a deception. The government is saying it will spend lots of money but much of it is going to companies in the form of research tax-credits without any evaluation". Furthermore the government "refuses to create jobs, improve teaching, and develop research".

There is also a virtual carrot being dangled by the minister. Mdm Pécresse has referred to "the major government bond issue planned for next year to spur the economy, saying she hopes it will represent 'a leap forward' for the science and technology sector".

A seminar to discuss goals for her ministry's allocation will be held on October 6; about 200 researchers and academics are expected to attend.